Dire Wolf Tavern — Restaurant in Salem

Once seated, we waited 15+ mins to even be greeted by a server despite a server (who ended up being our server) and a manager walking by and helping surrounding tables. Once greeted, our waitress was nice and did apologize about the wait. We ordered our drinks and gave her the code for the free appetizer (which was advertised for new members who sign up for their reward program on their drink menu). At this point, we also requested separate checks. We ordered our food without a problem and she did ask if any of had an allergies (which we thought was very nice!). She did not return to check how our food came out for almost 20 mins, at which point we were almost done eating. I did see her running around and she was very busy so I do not fault her for not being super attentive, though a quick check in would have been nice. Our appetizer (the corn dip) was great!! We loved it and the chips! Our entrees were okay. Two of them were pretty good and the other two lacked flavor (even with salt and pepper). We had also ordered a vodka drink and were not asked what kind was preferred. Tito’s was chosen and was charged for. We were not sure if that was the bar’s well, but we were also not informed. The short vodka water with just a splash of cranberry was $11.50. Seems high for what was given.

When she did stop to refill our waters, we asked for the checks and a box. We waited another 15 mins then she brought one check. We asked her to split them please individually. She kind of huffed and walked away. We were kind of shocked given that we had requested separate bills prior to even ordering. When she returned, the appetizer was split by four (so a 1/4 on each check) but she said that couldn’t apply the free appetizer when it was split. I tried to explain to her that we wanted to apply the free appetizer since the whole reason we had ordered it was because it was free for new members and that I had already given her the code for it. She didn’t say anything and kind of stormed off. She returned with new checks (though she forgot to bring one of them). When our cards were returned they were brought by another employee, which led us to think she didn’t even want to see us again. One of us didn’t receive the receipt to sign though so she had to hunt down a manger so she could sign a receipt. At that point, we were worried about an unauthorized amount being added to the charge so we wanted to sign a copy.

Overall, we wouldn’t return despite some of food being pretty good due to the poor service. I am not one to leave reviews at all, but I will if the service was spectacular or piss poor. I don’t want others to be...

We had a very disappointing and concerning experience during our recent visit that I feel compelled to share — not out of frustration alone, but because the issues we encountered raise serious safety, management, and billing concerns.

We arrived on time for our reservation, only to find the host explaining to multiple guests that the restaurant had been “accidentally overbooking” and that they were doing their best to catch up. Despite having a confirmed reservation, we waited over 30 minutes past our scheduled time before being seated.

Once seated, our server, Vanessa, was kind and professional. After a long wait for drinks, she accidentally dropped part of a tray and understandably had to replace those items before bringing ours. However, when my drink arrived, I immediately noticed a large chip missing from the rim with cracks running all the way down the glass.

She apologized and replaced it — which I appreciated — but what shocked me was that no manager ever came over to acknowledge the incident, apologize, or offer reassurance. From my own background in restaurant management, I know this is a major safety and liability issue. When glassware is chipped or broken, all food and beverages nearby must be discarded to prevent contamination. Consuming even a small fragment could cause severe internal injuries or even death.

Thankfully, I caught the broken glass before taking a sip — so you’re welcome for preventing what could have turned into a serious injury or lawsuit. Had I or a family member consumed that drink and suffered internal damage, this could have easily resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and legal claims.

While the food itself was great and our server tried her best, the lack of managerial involvement, combined with a complete disregard for proper safety protocol, was extremely disappointing.

To make matters worse, when the check arrived, I noticed the damaged drink was not listed, which I initially assumed was a courtesy for the incident. However, after handing over my card, the server added the drink to the total and processed the payment without telling me.

This is not only unprofessional but unlawful — once a total is presented, a business cannot alter the amount without customer consent. Doing so is considered unauthorized billing and borders on credit card fraud.

These are not minor issues. They reflect poor oversight, training deficiencies, and serious legal exposure for the restaurant. I hope this feedback prompts meaningful action — including proper staff retraining and stronger safety and billing procedures — before a more serious...

I am giving this place 3 stars because many times my girlfriend and I … this was our go to spot to eat. We tend to eat at the bar because there is always a wait for a table. We are foodies and the food made here is top notch. Unfortunately last week my girlfriend and I went in here to eat and it was extremely apparent that the bar manager who is like 25 had requested that my girlfriend not be offered alcohol at the bar so in turn she wasn’t offered any drink at all she was served warm chlorinated salem tap water instead. While the bar tenders kept offering me beers, my girlfriend was not asked what she wanted to drink at all, most likely to avoid having to tell her the bar manager didn’t want her served. When we arrived to the restaurant My girlfriend needed to use the bathroom the corner at the top of the stairs from the bathrooms is sharp and small. 2 loud intoxicated men had scared her when she was coming around the Corner from the bathroom … immediately after the incident the bar manager asked if my girlfriend was “ok”, then went and talked to the bar tenders. Ironically after this my girlfriend was not asked once if she wanted a drink (not even soda) the entire time we sat at the bar. Anyways we ordered our food and my chicken sandwhich was missing 3 ingredients. When i said something to the bar tender she suggested she get me some lettuce and i could then put it on the sandwhich myself… (even though my sandwhich was missing more than lettuce) she downplayed the sandwich so much I decided this wasn’t worth it at all and just ate the sandwhich as is. My girlfriend was visibly upset and asked for a box for her food and the check bc she didn’t even want to eat her food here anymore.. when she got the check the bar tender had charged us for a beer I had declined and did not receive and fully charged us for my chicken sandwhich which was bread and chicken nothing else … we will never eat here again due to the lack of service judgement and ethics of the bar manager specifically. At her age there is no way anyone can have enough experience to manage a busy bar effectively and I hope this place takes that into consideration...